Deadly Sweet

Synopsis

Starring 17-year-old beauty contest winner Ewa Aulin (Candy), and Jean-Louis Trintignant (A Man and a Woman), Deadly Sweet is a most unusual crime story. In the film, a French actor finds his business contact lying murdered on the floor. Rather than call the police, he decides to protect the young woman at the scene and nail down the true killers, which puts him on a collision course with the London underworld. Deadly Sweet leads us through a mind-bending series of pop-art visuals by renowned erotic cartoonist Guido Crepax, split screens, triple split screens and the seductive rock score by Armando Trovajoli. Filmmaker Tinto Brass, who later gained fame for his softcore erotica, wrote the screenplay in 1967, loosely adapted from a novel by Sergio Donati, as an outrageous attempt to turn the crime genre on its head. It can be said that with this film Cinema Fumetti (comic-book movies) was invented prior to the more known Danger: Diabolik and Barbarella. Cult Epics is proud to present Deadly Sweet (aka Heart in his Mouth), a rare giallo thriller unseen since its initial theatrical release, whose lead actors went on to star in Dead Laid an Egg, a year after.

3 Reasons To buy this film

From Tinto Brass...

With frontal female nudity...

and crazy pop art visuals.

Review

There are very few rules in life that deserve holding true to. One of them being that if you discover an associate murdered, and a pretty young thing (Ewa Aulin) cowering in the corner, only able to utter the words “I didn’t do it” you ask no questions, you simply take from the contents of the safe, and run with her. Remaining faithful to this golden rule, Tinto Brass’ Deadly Sweet is not so much a murder mystery as it is the tale of a man’s obsession with a beautiful 17 year old girl, and the measures he is willing to take to protect both her, and her innocence.

Blinded by lust, and Aulin’s face (seriously, my god, where does one acquire a face such as hers?) Bernard (Jean-Louis Trintignant) foolishly plunges into a world of murder and thuggery, where cats are willing to pull out each and every one of your eyelashes to make you talk. Armed only with the shaky clues provided by the sweet and scarcely believable thang he somehow managed to scoop up, the two take to the streets of London, chasing down leads, narrowly evading law enforcement and being tailed by a midget. As the bodies pile up, our love sick hero must decide whether his Jane is all that he thought, or if she’s hiding something behind her innocent smile.

Long story short, man gets some 17 year old pussy and loses his goddamn mind. The two spend so much time cavorting around town and flirting that it’s easy to forget what their actual goal is, much less that a murder has occurred. Particularly infuriating is Bernard’s blatant disregard of the fact that he’s wanted by the law, and his willingness to believe every word that comes from Jane’s pretty little mouth.

If you’re looking for the typical Brass film, you’re in the wrong spot. You might catch a glimpse of a titty there, but for the most part it’s straight laced. The pop art visuals (split screens, wacky colors and what have you) complement the swinging '60s backdrop and psychedelic soundtrack. Wacky Scooby Doo-esque chase scenes and comic book undertones keep things fun, while the convincing leads, and their creepy intense love affair, keep you following along. However, the primary thing that this flick has going for it is Ewa Aulin. Fuck it, I’d place myself as the primary suspect of a murder investigation, get my ass beat and run around town for days on end without showering for her too.